A Scots author whose book was snapped up by Vin Diesel to turn into another Braveheart attacked his wife during the “toxic breakdown” of their marriage.
Peter Ross Leckie was convicted of assaulting wife Sophie at their million-pound Edinburgh home as their relationship collapsed.
Leckie wrote a novel about Hannibal, with Hollywood star Diesel eager to play the Carthaginian general who led his elephants across the Alps to attack Rome.
The 65-year-old, who earned a fortune working for an investment firm, went to school at Edinburgh’s fee-paying Fettes College.
Leckie attended the school at the same time as future Labour prime minister Tony Blair.
As well as being a writer and working in finance, Leckie was a failed Conservative parliamentary candidate.
Leckie appeared for sentencing at the city’s sheriff court on Wednesday after the case had been deferred for reports.
Sheriff Chris Dickson told Leckie that his offending took place during the “toxic breakdown of a relationship”.
The sheriff imposed a ten-year non-harassment order, banning Leckie from approaching or contacting ex-wife Sophie, or going to their former marital home.
Leckie was placed on supervision for two years and given 140 hours of unpaid work.
A jury last month found him guilty of four charges.
Leckie was convicted of assaulting his wife on one occasion between December 15 and 31 2015 at their home in the New Town by seizing her by the neck and struggling with her.
He was also convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner during the same period by shouting and swearing at Sophie in their property.
The jury found him guilty of assaulting his wife on various occasions between January 1 2015 and June 30 2018 by repeatedly poking her on the body.
Leckie was convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on dates between September 7 2012 and June 30 2018.
It’s understood the couple married in 1995 and divorced in 2019.
Leckie, of Glenquiech near Forfar in Angus, previously worked for Martin Currie Investment Management and studied at Oxford University.
According to Companies House, he resigned from his role with Artemis Investment Management last month.
Leckie is understood to have worked on oil rigs, and as a teacher and journalist.
He wrote historical fiction in his Carthage trilogy under the name Ross Leckie, with the first, Hannibal, published in 1995. He was recruited as an advisor for the proposed film adaptation.
In 2002 our sister paper the Sunday Mail revealed how Fast and Furious star Diesel wanted to make his own Braveheart-type film with a £165 million budget.
The script was inspired by Leckie’s novel tracing the life of Hannibal from around 218BC.
At the time, Diesel said: “It is a character I have always wanted to play, in the same way that Mel Gibson got to make his dream project with Braveheart.
“So we took an option on the book by Ross. The script is being written from that. I can’t wait to read it.”
After 20 years, Diesel’s passion project, which reportedly had Gladiator director Ridley Scott attached, still hasn’t gone into production.
But last year Diesel again told of his desire to make the film and direct it itself.
